It was a great start to life for the re-formed Braintree 3rd XI, making a return to action after 15 years in what was nice moment for the club and testament to the way the it has progressed from the bottom up over the past 5 years or so. This was highlighted perfectly by the fact there were senior debuts for 13 year olds Lucas Hale and Will Sherry, with the former taking 3 crucial wickets for Braintree. The game ended in a comfortable victory, but it was not always comfortable for the dolphins, especially with the bat.
Dave Hale and Will Sherry, two batsmen with hugely varying levels of experience, were opening the batting and made a patient start before Sherry was bowled soon after getting off the mark with a ball that kept a bit low from Haider Hamdani. This would become a common theme in the Braintree innings. Hale continued to battle alongside Callum Macleod, one of the co-captains for the day alongside Karl Parker, and the going continued to be tough as Macleod was caught and bowled by youngster Fraser Barrett. 30-2 soon became 30-3 as Braintree debutant Shubham Alhat was pinned LBW, caught on the crease. Hale started to find a bit of rhythm while the other co-captain, Karl Parker, tried to play himself in, but when on 3 was bowled by another ball that kept low, this time from Jack Williams. Charlie Garner then joined Hale at the crease and the latter continued to increase the run rate as he struck some convincing boundaries to near his half century which he soon reached, a well-constructed innings from the opener. Garner made 7 before another one kept low and he was bowled. That brought the ever-reliable Andrew Sherry to the crease but disaster struck as Hale, on 57, skied one for another easy caught and bowled, this time from Williams. He would have liked to turn the 50 into something bigger, but an extremely valuable contribution in tough conditions, nonetheless. It was Sherry or bust now for the Dolphins, but able support was provided by Arindam Ganguly as he steadied the ship alongside Sherry as 88-6 became 137-6 before Ganguly was caught for 12 again off the bowling of Barrett. Sherry had been patient, but he accelerated as the overs lessened and the reliance on him increased. Callum Lazarus and Calley Foyster came and went, which brought Lucas Hale to the crease, who saw off 3 balls to ensure Sherry had strike for the last over in which he struck 21 runs and reached 50 in the process. Both batsmen were exhausted at the end, especially Sherry, after running five consecutive 2’s in the final over. A very competitive score of 175 on a tricky pitch was made possible by the contributions of Hale and Sherry, who made 57 and 63 respectively, both having to work hard for their runs in a spirited Brightlingsea bowling performance, with the standout being the aforementioned Barrett, taking 4-34.

With usual opening bowler Sherry still recovering from his batting effort, it was down to Dave Hale to open the bowling, and he rolled back the years with a laser accurate 8 over spell in which he claimed 3 scalps, Scrutton (0), Finbow (20) and Matt Barrett (13) all bowled. The wicket of Scrutton, which was the third ball of the innings, was the standout, a peach of an in-swinging yorker. In between that, Lazarus also picked up Tansley via an edge and a sharp slip catch from Sherry. That left the home side in a precarious position at 42-4 and The Dolphins continued to capitalise after beating the bat multiple times, Foyster got through Rowlands defences and bowled him for 4. She was unlucky not to pick up more wickets with a great display of leg spin, some great flight and guile on show. It then became the Lucas Hale show as like his dad, he also took 3 wickets and was involved in a run out, taking the bails off after a good throw from Garner to dismiss Fraser Barrett without scoring. He removed the attacking Hamdani by staying consistent with his line and length and waiting for him to make a mistake, which he hid, offering a simple catch to Garner at mid on for 17. He then had Marc Williams caught by Macleod at mid-wicket for 6 and clattered the stumps of Jack Williams (4) to cap off a great senior debut. Garner took the final wicket after a bit of resistance from the final pairs, bowling Plummer for 11 to finish the Brightlingsea innings on 91 and seal an 84-run win for the dolphins.

A very satisfying day's work with 3 Braintree debuts for Shubnum Alhat, Will Sherry and Lucas Hale as well as marking the return of a 3rd XI with a win, which hopefully becomes a common occurrence this season.